Ohio-based artist Rachel Mentzer creates collagraph prints using discarded cartons as printing plates, carving them with images of birds, trees, and energy infrastructure. Her process involves carving the cardboard, sealing it with polyurethane, inking it, and transferring the image via an etching press, often incorporating chine collé for color. Her work was recently shown at the Manhattan Graphics Center, and she will participate in the Suzanne Wilson Artist-in-Residence Program at Glen Arbor Arts Center this summer.
Mentzer’s practice matters because it foregrounds sustainability and environmental renewal, using waste materials to comment on the relationship between human infrastructure and nature. By transforming trash into textured, dusky prints, she invites viewers to reconsider the resilience of wildlife in urban environments and the ecological impact of everyday materials.